The Theories of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase
by unostalgic
Summary: The principles of heterosexuality and the notions of romance don't always equate each other. And that's incomprehensible, because Rei Ryugazaki has a theory for everything, except Haruka Nanase.
1. Theory 1: The Iwatobi Formulae

**The Theory of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase's Incomprehensibility**

.

.

.

Theory #1: The Iwatobi Formulae

.

.

.

Rei Ryugazaki sees a world of numbers that rotates on axes of calculation and formulae.

It's 8 lanes in the pool, 25 strokes of butterfly from one end of the lane to the other, 1.60 meters of pool depth.

It's 4 other members of the swim team, 3 boys, 1 girl, 1 teacher to supervise them.

It's 50% good days, 30% bad days and 20% everything in between.

It's nice.

Despite all this, Rei Ryugazaki's one stability is the theorem of the world.

Dreams can be found through telescopes in the stars, adventure laced linear on a world map. Heart and soul are a convenient combination of letters strung into pretty epithets and sentences at the right place and time.

People can be broken down to chemicals – 70% water, perhaps 20% biological functions and 10% left up to the imagination for the less intellectual, but character is essentially situational history.

.

.

_The Iwatobi Formulae (by Rei Ryugazaki) _

_1. Admirable tolerance + gentle leadership + astuteness + (perhaps) kindness – consistent courage = Makoto Tachibana_

_2. Everlasting naivety + opportune consideration + seemingly incessant brightness + (irritating) optimism = Nagisa Hazuki_

_3. Apparent determination + (occasional) endearing nature + recurrent stubbornness - self-control (around deltoids) = Gou Matsuoka._

_._

_._

It's easy to dissect human psychology, if everything anyone ever thinks or says or does is in an arguably complex but ultimately comprehensible 1400 grams of brain matter in one's head.

The processes of life are theories of numbers and conveniences entwined together. Life is easy because Rei Ryugazaki can read everything in it like a calculus problem.

Because Rei Ryugazaki has a theory for everything, except Haruka Nanase.

Frustrating incomprehensibility = Haruka Nanase.

.

.

.

* * *

_(The actual title didn't fit in the title box)_

_This was supposed to be a short little spasm of feelings, but this is what happens when my brain explodes, sorry. Chronological Rei/Haru, unpopular pairing but I love them both. _

_I'm posting #1 and #2 straight off the bat, to see how it's received before continuing. Otherwise, new theories posted every three days (hopefully). _


	2. Theory 2: The Butterfly Theory

**The Theory of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase's Incomprehensibility**

.

.

.

Theory #2: The Butterfly Theory

.

.

.

Butterfly is easier than Haruka Nanase.

Butterfly is a theoretical dolphin kick, both right and left legs moving uniformly in unison, the movement stemming from the hips and reverberating to thighs and calves.

Butterfly is a keyhole motion with arms—a smooth curve at the head, rounded into a straight lines at the torso, and rising up over the head at 30 degree angles north from the body at peak.

Butterfly is a head rising out of the water when arms are south, and butterfly is deep, slow exhales when head returns underwater.

Butterfly is a theory, like freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke. But Haruka Nanase is a near-blank page in a notebook with pages and pages of cramped, tiny handwriting in chicken scratch handwriting.

At night sometimes, it frustrates Rei to the point he has to untangle his thoughts on paper, like arithmetic scribbles in a margin on a mathematics exam.

.

.

_The Theory of Haruka Nanase (by Rei Ryugazaki)_

_1. 2__nd__ year, Iwatobi High School_

_2. 5'9", 150lbs_

_3. Celestial freestyle stroke (perhaps due to years of practice)_

_4. Incessant indifference (yet to be explained)_

_5. ?_

_._

_._

Question marks frustrate Rei. It doesn't help that Haruka Nanase is one. They make him crumple up the list and toss the paper into the recycling bin by his bedside.

But unanswered questions frustrate Rei more. He retrieves the balled paper and leaves it on the desk for tomorrow night, just in case.

* * *

_Hey again, so if this should be continued, tell me how it's going. Thanks for reading. _


	3. Theory 3: The Swimsuit Theory

**The Theory of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase's Incomprehensibility**

.

.

.

Theory #3: The Swimsuit Theory, and its detrimentality

.

.

.

"Warm-up regime is 400 meters of freestyle pull, 400 meters of a kick-and-arms drill of any stroke, and—Haruka-senpai!"

Haruka doesn't hear Gou pleading for him to listen to instruction just once before diving in. He looks undeniable peaceful just floating in the water, suspended in a restless state of blue.

Rei has no theory as to why Haru always seems rearing to go, with his swimsuit under his uniform, either. As he sees it:

.

.

_The Swimsuit Theory, and its detrimentality (by Rei Ryugazaki)  
_

_1. It's uncomfortable in the first place. _

_2. It restricts movement in the lower half and torso of the body.  
_

_3. Restroom times increase by 15 seconds at a time. _

_4. There are no benefits, except being able to stripe down in the periphery of any body of water (which isn't much of a benefit in Rei's eyes anyway.) _

_._

_._

Maybe there is no theory to his swimsuit, but there is none required to see that Haru is a fish-out-of-water on land, an apathetic, consistently unresponsive fish. Haru probably does have sympathy, empathy or activeness in some shape or form, but it doesn't show easily at all.

His freestyle form isn't perfect, Rei notices too during warm-up. The angle of his arms is a little too wide and his kick stems liberally from his legs rather than his hips. His breaths in and out are even, but all on his right side. (That'll give him neck problems in his forties, Rei thinks.)

But it's nevertheless beautiful.

When practice really begins, he glides elegantly through the motions, his disproportionate arm angles and flawed kick meld in a mechanic of beautiful arms and beautiful legs, a beautiful stroke.

Rei finds himself watching Haru for the rest of practice.

.

.

.

* * *

_Hey there, thanks for those who have favourited and followed and reviewed, keep them coming, they make me happy. This should be fun to write regardless! _


	4. Theory 4: The Premise to the Sky

**The Theory of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase's Incomprehensibility**

.

.

.

Theory #4: The Premise to the Colour of the Sky

.

.

.

"Hey, Mako-chan, Rei-chan. Why is the sky blue?"

Nagisa lies on his back on the edge of the pool after practice, holding a hand up over his eyes. Rei gazes up into the infinite strip of blue with dotted and streaked with pretty contours of white—all a body of condensed water vapour and ice crystals poised in a celestial dome of oxygen and nitrogen, among others.

Makoto props himself back on his arms and makes egg-beater motions aimlessly with his legs in the water, "I always thought it was because of the sea. The sky reflecting the sea or something like that. I didn't really pay attention in science class." His mouth slips into a half smile.

Nagisa's lip juts out. "I never listen in science, but it's so blue." A sound of comprehension escapes him, "Maybe it's the pool's tiles—"

"That wouldn't make sense, Nagisa. No, if I remember correctly, the water absorbs six colors of the rainbow from light—red, orange, yellow, green, indigo and violet—and the longest wavelength color reflected is blue, for water, thus the water appears blue." Rei intersects guilelessly. "Everything is actually colorless, without sunlight. It's an admirable theory."

"Rei-kun, speak Japanese." Gou giggles languidly. She lets her eyes flutter closed as the sun beats down on them.

Haruka stays quiet, floating suspended in the water with his eyes closed.

.

.

* * *

.

.

"Gou-chan is getting prettier, don't you think?" Nagisa comments when the four boys are in the locker room, "Maybe it was how she was sitting, but I think she's been prettier than she's ever been before."

Makoto rubs a towel over his back and the water droplets are shaken out of wet hair, "She's always been pretty, I think."

"Maybe it was the sunshine."

Rei glances over to see Haru is the one who answers.

"Yeah, with the sunlight in her hair, she looked like a model." Nagisa agrees.

Haru is quiet before shaking his head. "Just the sunshine and the angle she was sitting. She looks the same as she's always been."

He's met with odd responses here and there, a wide eye, a hesitant shrug.

"Why, Haruka-senpai, don't you think Gou-san is pretty?" Rei finds himself asking before he can stop himself.

Haru just looks up, his blue eyes unchanging, and looks back down. "I see Rin in her."

"Is that even relevant, Haru?" Makoto sighs.

It's not, but Haru doesn't say anything else.

.

.

.


	5. Theory 5: Haru's Incomprehensibility

**The Theory of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase's Incomprehensibility**

.

.

.

Theory #5: The Theory of Haru's fascinating incomprehensibility, thus far to Rei Ryugazaki

.

.

.

Haru is just as aloof in classes, Rei finds.

At lunch, he and Nagisa make trips from the 1st-year building to visit the 2nd-years. Each day, Makoto greets them with a gentle smile that comes easily. On good days, they get a small smile and at minimum, polite chuckles here and there from Haru during conversation. On bad days, it's barely acknowledgment. The view from the window is always more intriguing.

"Has Haruka-senpai always been quiet like that?" Rei tries one afternoon on the walk back.

"Haru-chan?" Nagisa shrugs his shoulders and gives him an apologetic smile. "More reserved than the rest of us, that's all."

"He didn't even look at us when we arrived though."

"Yeah, well, he's just tamer than us, you know? He's conservative sometimes."

_Conservative – defn. Traditional or restrained in style. _Conservative isn't stripping down to his jammers in the presence of a fish bowl.

As far as Rei is concerned, conservative ≠ Haruka Nanase.

"Reserved? Conservative? Haruka-senpai?"

"Maybe not around water, but otherwise, yeah. He keeps to himself a lot." Nagisa reassures him with a pat on the shoulder, "Don't worry about him, Rei-chan."

"I'm not worried about him!"

Nagisa giggles but says nothing.

.

.

* * *

.

.

Although Haru is exceedingly frustrating, more than one 5'9" boy should frustrate another, Rei still finds him utterly beguiling and perpetually fascinating.

.

.

_The theory as to why Haruka Nanase is incomprehensibly fascinating, and why (by Rei Ryugazaki_

_1. He's able to say so much with so little (maybe the acute angle of his eyebrows that always seems to be serious)._

_2. He's still able to show concern at the direst of situations, despite (1)._

_3. His expression is always seemingly neutral, despite (2)._

_4. He's able to contradict himself so much. See (1), (2) and (3)._

_5. Rei Ryugazaki can stay up until 12AM trying to cognize his entirety and being although he probably shouldn't be. (Stop it, Rei.) _

.

.

.

* * *

_Rei, oh, Rei. He's been friggin adorable in the last few episodes. Thanks for reading, as always!_


	6. Theory 6: The Folly of Nagisa Hazuki

**The Theory of Celestial Stroke, Notional Wings and Haruka Nanase's Incomprehensibility**

.

.

.

Theory #6: The Folly of Nagisa Hazuki during Truth or Dare

.

.

.

On Makoto's 18th birthday, they celebrate with five of Coach Goro's pizzas, and a game of truths. Rei is reluctant to participate.

"I'm asking Nagisa-kun." Gou points her pizza in his direction, "Are you insecure about your height?"

"I'm still a first year, Gou-chan! And I'm taller than you."

"Yes, by a few centimetres maybe. You're a good height, for a _girl_."

"I'm not insecure about my height. There are enough good looks and swimming abilities to make up for it anyway."

Everyone laughs, and Nagisa strikes some poses.

"My turn," Nagisa sniggers, "Do you like anybody, Rei-chan?"

Rei meets pairs of expectant eyes. His own dart to Haru for one split moment, to see he's gazing back with slight momentary interest. He clears his throat.

"No. Not right now." Rei mutters, adjusting his frames with a lithe motion. He doesn't elaborate, but the others must have detected something else.

"What kind of girls do you like, then?" Nagisa questions further and leans in closer.

"Nagisa-kun, you only get one question—"Rei begins, but falters when he notices that Haru is watching with increasing curiosity.

"What kind of girls, Rei-kun?" Makoto asks too, grinning easily.

Rei mumbles into his pizza, "Cute ones. I guess."

"Would you date Gou-chan?"

Nagisa rightfully earns yelling and swatting and battering with pillows from both parties in question.

.

.

.


End file.
